Yeah or Neah for my choice of wireless router

[Andrew Wonser]

Picked up a Linksys WRT54G v6 router today thinking maybe they decided to uncripple it a bit since v5. Reading a couple forums, apparently not. Thankfully I haven't opened it yet and will return. So this is what I'm looking at now. Any problems any one knows of, apart from the fact that the antenna is stuck on the device (Though I think with a little effort you could probably replace it)?

My main want is that it be able to go at least 15-20 feet (Ideally 50 so if I ever have the desire to use my notebook outside, I can), passing through one wall while still being able to output a MMO playable speed.

[wonderpug]

I used to be a big supporter of Linksys products, but I don't think I'll ever buy anything from them ever again.  My wireless Linksys router would keep on dropping its connection, be out for 1-5 minutes, then come back on.  After several weeks playing a thrilling game of "find a tech support representative who isn't in India reading a script," I finally was told that it's a problem Linksys routers have with Comcast.  The solution I was given was to either run a 30 foot cable to my computer or buy another brand.

So now the antennae on my router are purely decorative, and I most certainly will take their advice and buy another brand next time.

[Knightshade Dragon]

I have the WRT54G myself and loved it for a while.  The problem that I've had is with support.  If you tend to hack your router and do your own support, its very hackable.  If not, I can't recommend Linksys as much as I might have in the past.

[Andrew Wonser]

Any other suggestions then? I did plan on installing mod created firmware, provided there are simple instructions since I know nothing of linux. As long as the speed doesn't dip too far down and the drops are rare I don't need to much additional functionality.

[Graham]

I have a D-Link DI-624...haven't had any issues with it or any of the D-Link products I've had.

[Destructor]

I have a WRT54G myself and haven't had any problems with it *knock on wood*. I just know that if I do have problems, I'll be troubleshooting the thing entirely by myself.

[Beer Goggles]

If you want an WRT54G, get the 'L' version.

[Andrew Wonser]

It was going to be the WRTSL54GS that I was looking to get.

[Kobra]

I love my SMC 2804WBR (not the new one, the olders one).  So much so, I picked up a backup off Ebay with a laptop card for $9 and sold the Laptop card on Amazon for $30.

You can find the 2804 on Ebay for $1-10.00 range and it has a fabulous SPI firewall and long range wireless.  I hate when I love a product, it dies, and I can't find anything as good to replace it.  So these days, I always buy 2 of things I love to protect from this.  I went through 6-8 home user type routers/firewalls before I found the SMC and totally love it.

[Kobra]

What about this one from Costco on sale for $79?

http://tinyurl.com/ykvdla

SPI, QOS, I might have to upgrade to that one.. LMAO..

[Thin_J]

If you want an WRT54G, get the 'L' version.

Listen to this man.

The GL is about a hundred times as stable and easy to get going with no problems as any of the other WRT54G variants.

[Andrew Wonser]

Still leaning towards a Linksys. My only real concern is that my cable modem is a D-Link and I'm worried that they won't play well together.

There are hardware review sites for almost everything, is there one about networking I could check out?

[Thin_J]

I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't work fine together man. My DSL modem is a Cisco and I've used one Microsoft, one Dlink, and two Linksys routers with it so far. None with any real problems to speak of.

[deadzone]

Andrew - That router looks like a nice piece of hardware to me.  It's certainly got some nice features on it for the price!  The reviews seem pretty good for it.  In the end, it's your own personal experience that counts, people will find problems with any product no matter how perfect or not perfect it may be. 

If you want, you can check out this link for some comparisons of routers. 

http://www.tomsnetworking.com/2006/06/16/hardware_router_chart_june_2006/

Hope this helps some!  Good luck with your search. 

[Kobra]

I love my SMC 2804WBR (not the new one, the olders one).  So much so, I picked up a backup off Ebay with a laptop card for $9 and sold the Laptop card on Amazon for $30.

You can find the 2804 on Ebay for $1-10.00 range and it has a fabulous SPI firewall and long range wireless.  I hate when I love a product, it dies, and I can't find anything as good to replace it.  So these days, I always buy 2 of things I love to protect from this.  I went through 6-8 home user type routers/firewalls before I found the SMC and totally love it.

FYI, this baby is putting out 92-96% signal quality to my Tivo units. 

[deadzone]

Oh yeah, I wanted also to tell you that most of the routers out there will play nice with any brand of modem you may have.

[TheAtomicKid]

I've had outstanding success with my dlink 4300 gamerlounge. I'm not a huge fan of wireless networking, but this one is problem-free. No dropped packets, etc.

http://games.dlink.com/products/?pid=370&#DGL-4300

Also, if you use bittorrent, the 4300 can handle it. every other router I've tried has problems with the number of connections it opens. (including  a couple of Linksys products)

Atomic

(if anyone doesnt need/want the wireless, they have a wired-only variant... the 4100)

[Andrew Wonser]

Went with the one I mentioned earlier. Having trouble getting it set up and will have to hit up the linksys community boards to see if they have any suggestions.